Antlers vs. Horns
Posted by Cheryl on October 27, 2003
Q: I live in Northern California and saw an animal with horizontal horns or antlers total width of about 5'. He was a large animal with a full furry chest. He was far away from me but when he ran he appeard to be a large deer or Elk. I have never seen anything like it. Do you have any idea what type of animal I may have seen? He was too thin to be a cow. Thanks.
A: It's always exciting to see a "new" animal in the wild and when it's a large animal, even better. I'm not very familiar with the ranges of animals in northern California, but from the description you gave, I'd say you saw an Elk. They have a very large set of antlers, and their chest is quite furry, as you described. Moose also have large antlers but these are very broad and not very deer-like in appearance. Moose also have a head/snout shape that tends to make ID easier as well. You might want to ask around to see if Elk are found in the area you were visiting, but I'll bet that's exactly what you saw. Lucky you!
John Wiessinger ( October 28, 2003)